Cooling has stimulated soil carbon storage in forest ecosystems.

The interactive effect of soil cooling and nitrogen (N) addition can accurately simulate climatic and anthropogenic effects on terrestrial and other land-based ecosystems, but direct empirical measurements on the effects of cooling and N addition on soil carbon (C) and N are lacking. Hence, transplanting soils into colder regions was used to evaluate the effects of cooling and N addition on soil C and N. We used PVCs of 30 cm in height and 8 cm in diameter to extract soil samples.

Energy-water and seasonal variations in climate underlie the spatial distribution patterns of gymnosperm species richness in China.

Studying the pattern of species richness is crucial in understanding the diversity and distribution of organisms in the earth. Climate and human influences are the major driving factors that directly influence the large-scale distributions of plant species, including gymnosperms. Understanding how gymnosperms respond to climate, topography, and human-induced changes is useful in predicting the impacts of global change.

The microbial community in decaying fallen logs varies with critical period in an alpine forest.

Little information has been available on the shifts in the microbial community in decaying fallen logs during critical periods in cold forests. Minjiang fir (Abies faxoniana) fallen logs in decay classes I-V were in situ incubated on the forest floor of an alpine forest in the eastern Tibet Plateau. The microbial community was investigated during the seasonal snow cover period (SP), snow thawing period (TP), early growing season (EG) and late growing season (LG) using Phosphorous Lipid Fatty Acid (PLFA) analysis.

The Mass Loss and Humification of Stumps and Roots in Masson Pine Plantations Based on Log File Records.

Stumps account for a large proportion of coarse woody debris in managed forests, but their decay dynamics are poorly understood. The loss of mass and the degree of humification of the above-ground woody debris, below-ground woody debris, bark and root system (R1, 10 mm ≥ diameter > 0 mm; R2, 25 mm ≥ diameter >10 mm; 100 mm ≥ R3 > 25 mm; R4 > 100 mm) of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana) stump systems were evaluated in southwestern China in a chronosequence of plantations cut 1-15 years prior to the study. The results indicated that above-ground woody debris decomposed more quickly than below-ground woody debris and bark, whereas the degree of humification followed the opposite trend.

Gap locations influence the release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus in two shrub foliar litter in an alpine fir forest.

Gap formation favors the growth of understory plants and affects the decomposition process of plant debris inside and outside of gaps. Little information is available regarding how bioelement release from shrub litter is affected by gap formation during critical periods. The release of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) in the foliar litter of Fargesia nitida and Salix paraplesia in response to gap locations was determined in an alpine forest of the eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau via a 2-year litter decomposition experiment.